Hi,

we have a question about vipers (original game, no extensions). What's the advantage of using manned vipers instead of going to the "command" location and launching unmanned vipers?

The only reason so far we could find to launch yourself in a viper are Kara Thrace (one more action, that's really nice) and the pilot skill cards, but is that all?

What's your assesment of the tactical use of the option to launch yourself in a viper?

Cheers

drbashir117 said:

Have you *read* the piloting cards? This this little one called Maximum Firepower...

Piloting cards in BSG (without expansions) are worthwhile for the pilots.

There are 14 "Evasive Maneuvers" - Play after any viper is attacked to reroll the die. If the viper is piloted, subtract 2 from the new roll.

...this alone makes it so that vipers that are piloted are NEVER destroyed, only damaged- with only a 1 in 8 shot of them being shot down. (Obviously, the pilot would then go to Sickbay, but one Executive Order- a Leadership card of which there are 14 available in the 21 card deck, means that the Pilots get out of Sickbay, into the Hanger, and are launched when it's their turn again.)

Maximum Firepower- of which there are 7- allows the Viper Pilot to attack four times. Crazy good - a pretty good chance that a piloted Viper will damage a Basestar at least once. Starbuck with two Maximum Firepowers in hand... think about that.

Of the 70 card Crisis Deck, only 10 of the Crisises depend on Piloting cards to pass (Crash Landing DC-6, Cylon Tracking Device DC-10, Hanger Accident DC-10, Legendary Discovery DC-14, Scouting for Fuel DC-12, Scouting for Water DC-9, Send Survey Team DC-15, The Olympic Carrier DC-11, Unidentified Ship DC-10, and Weapon Malfunction DC-11.) In the Cylon Super Crisis deck, only two of the five require Piloting (Bomb on Colonial One DC-15, and Fleet Mobilization DC-24).

This means that the Piloting cards will typically remain in the Pilots hands (especially if they have Tactics to toss for those skill checks- 8 of those 10 Destiny deck skill checks also can take Tactics) - destroying Cylons like crazy, and keeping out of harm's way themselves.

S.

drbashir117 said:

Apollo's ability to launch himself to interrupt a cylon attack crisis is also hugely useful.

Plus, when you're in a viper, you're a bit more safe from getting knocked into Sickbay from random Cylon Basestar lasers smashing into Galactica and destroying the space to Command vipers. Specifically, movement of raiders is nice, easy, and predictable and you can plan it a little better than getting blasted away in Galactica from a random damage token drawn.